Judo For Mixed Martial Arts

"Having a bit of Judo experience myself, I was more than slightly interested in what the author was going to present in his book. Needless to say, I was not surprised nor was I disappointed. In fact I was really impressed with the quality of material that was provided in this book.

While the use of color photographs on glossy paper and multiple camera angles really added to the visual look of the book. It was definitely the detailed explanations and quality of the material presented by the author that impressed me the most, although the format and layout of the book were also very well done, which seems to increasingly becoming a trademark with this particular publisher. And in that respects, good job to them as well.

The basic premise of this book is to teach you how to execute some of the more traditional Judo techniques without having the use of your and your opponent's gi, which is a staple of traditional Judo techniques. What the author had done here is to show you how to execute a lot of those same traditional techniques without using a gi or uniform. Now some of these techniques are modified slightly, which has to be done in order for the technique to be effective. One example of this is the Seio-Nage series of traditional Judo throws.

Although the author primarily focuses on the competition side of using these modified Judo techniques, you can also adapt a lot of these very same techniques to an actual street situation with just a little modification, or in some cases, none at all.

The author also covers other areas such as; grappling, groundwork, and counters, just to name a few.

I have no reservations whatsoever in recommending this book to anyone involved in MMA and also to anyone who practices Judo. You never know when you are going to face someone who doesn't have a Judo gi on. Or perhaps you do know, all the time on the street. Just a thought!

Here are a couple of other books that I recommend to help you improve your Judo techniques.

Osoto-gari (Judo Masterclass Techniques)

Pick-ups (Judo Masterclass Techniques)

Uchimata (Masterclass Techniques Series)

And all the other books in the Judo Masterclass series.

Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series."
~ Written on 2008-10-26

"Victory Belt publishing keeps churning out winners. "Judo for Mixed Martial Arts" by UFC Welterweight contender Karo Parisyan is one more success.

After the obligatory introductory piece, Karo gets cooking. He begins teaching his unorthodox system by first focusing on control possitions and transitions. Not the most exciting part of the book, but it does lay the groundwork for what is to follow. After that he talks about the use of strikes in the standup, focusing on using the strikes to set up takedowns or get into the control possitions in the clinch. Next we get to the good stuff, the throws. Karo has modified classic Judo throws, such as Seio-Nage and Osoto-Gari, to be used without the gi, and these tactics have been largely responsible for his wins. In addition to showing many variations of these techniques, he also shows how to counter the clinching and takedown techniques found in submission grappling and MMA with more Judo throws. Finally, Karo gets to the groundfighting portion of the book. This is a submission-heavy section, and some of those subs are as unorthodox as Karo's throws. Included here, among other things, are leglock transitions, submission transitions from the guard, and some basic ground and pound.

Like all Victory Belt products, "Judo for Mixed Martial Arts" includes color-coded chapters, multiple camera angles, and clear color photos. The format is very easy to follow, and the book is written by the man who's possibly the best in the world at transfering Judo skills into the MMA arena. It lacks a bit when it comes to striking, but let's face it, that's not what the book is about anyway. For those wanting to learn Judo for MMA or to supplement their grappling game, this is an excellent book. Highly recomended."
~ Written on 2008-08-10

"As mentioned, the book is much more than throws. If you want to throw someone you typically need to clinch...this can be tough if strikes are allowed, especially if your opponent has a reach advantage. This book covers a few striking methods to close the gap and get into the clinch.

I was happy to see a very good section on the guard and submissions from this position.

This book covers a large amount of "phases" of combat including standing at a distance, clinching, throwing, and ground work and does it all very well. It will be truly valued by the kickboxer who wants to close the gap to clinch/throw, by the grappler, and the mixed martial artist. Victory Belt has put out another quality product."
~ Written on 2008-07-01

"im a judoka and this book is one of the best available. it reminds all judoka to stop relying on the gi. the techniques are completely different from anything ive ever see before. also ive never seen such detail in a martial arts book. you literally get 3 camera angles for most techniques. the only thing i would say is if you dont have any judo experience you'll problably have trouble with this book, this is not basic judo. "
~ Written on 2008-06-20

"Wow. I thought this would be all throws. There are throws, counter throws, a whole soi age seciton, a whle osoto gari section, Tai Otoshis, Harai Goshis, and Uchimatas galor from all kinds of setups andcounters. Tere are a handful of throws off of the Kimura hold. There are even some good old double and single leg takedowns. There are methods of clinching and even striking to get the clinch. There's a section on Judo pins. Mount, Side Control, Scarf, reverse scarf,and north-south all have their own sections on transitions and sumissions. There are a lot of unique Hayastan/Gokor style subs I have NEVER seen in 13 years of MA training. The book ends with Ground and Pound techniques.

If you want to fight like Karo, this IS the book for you! "
~ Written on 2008-06-18